On Saturday, Renault reached this year’s top qualifying position, with Ricciardo and Ocon finishing fourth and sixth.
In the first round after the start, Ricciardo also attacked the third Max Verstappen from Red Bull, but remained fourth.
“We had a lot of speed, it was better on the hard set (in the second stint). In the beginning, it was fun with Max in the first round. I was in front, then he got ahead and we drove side by side for a few turns. But on the soft set, he and the Mercedes drove as we expected, “said Ricciardo.
“The safety car then got Gasly and Pérez between me and Max, who decided not to go to the pits. By the time I overtook them, the riders in front were gone. I would make it more interesting if I rebooted right after Max, but fourth place is good. “
In the end, Ricciardo drove the fastest lap of the race, even though he was already riding on worn tires.
“The bike before the finish, the engineer told me the value of the fastest bike, it was about half a second faster than the one I drove. I wasted no time and said to myself that I would ride a proper qualifying round, I would use the whole track and it was a big round, maybe even better than my qualifying round yesterday!
Also next weekend we will ride on a fast track, where low pressure is needed. The Italian Grand Prix will be hosted by Monza. “Last year this (Spa) was a good track for us, but Monza was even better, so we’ll see. I think we can go there with great confidence. “
Ocon has contributed to Renault’s most successful weekend since his return to F1
In addition to Ricciard’s thirteen points, he scored another ten points for Renault in fifth place Ocon. Renault thus achieved the best result since 2016, when it returned to Formula 1 as a factory team.
Ocon only came in fifth in the last round with a successful attack on Alex Albon on the Kemmel plain.
“Fifth place was ours today, so I’m very happy to get it in the last round. It’s great for the team to have fourth and fifth place, we were fast all weekend and fought with the best cars, “said Ocon.
“It was a good race. We overtook Albon at the start, but we lost it at the stop. I had to try, pull back the loss and eventually overtake. It is positive that the car is doing well on these tracks. “
